What you see is not always what you get.

As I've been watching the news, my eyes seemingly try to deceive my mind. On FOX, in the New York Times, or through an ABC news show, America would seemingly be drifting on in it's leftward stagger. Everyone is happily talking about how things are the same, or worse (ABC and NYT are happy about status quo in the leftward seeming tilt). The deficit is going up because of government spending, a leftward thing to be sure. Entitlements are growing and expanding, definitely a leftward social/commun -ist thing. Gas prices are up, cheered by greens until they have to pay for gas to get to their local pot dealer. And of course, the continued invasion across the boarders by illegal aliens, supported by drugged out anti-Americans for the tired "Can't we all just get along, man?" reasons and supported by otherwise conservative business owners who turn cheap sweat into gold.

Still, around the edges, behind the scenes, and out of view the picture is changing. Conservative and religious groundswell has changed the direction of the country. If President Bush is out of touch it's not that he doesn't see the past or the present, but it's that he doesn't realize his hippier days are a dread to most and won't be repeated soon. That, as a babyboomer, his whole generation's dreams are being shredded, shoved back in closets, and put into proper social perspective by a realigning society. He, less so than Clinton but still true, is one of the last mustached Petes (a reference to the mafia godfathers who didn't want to get into alcohol after prohibition and where thus sidelined or killed by young turks). Both those hippy types are going down, and then away. Instead of getting into hooch, the new America is getting into God, morality, and honest politics.

Everyone knows president Bush is in trouble. The democrats like to dream that this is because his conservative notions aren't in favor. The truth is president Bush is in trouble for not being a conservative. The conservative base is growing almost as fast as church crowds are but the leadership is lagging, and he is the lagger in chief. In spite of his politically neutred situation, change is going on around, under, over, and sometimes right through him. We saw it with the last Supreme Court nominee(s) and I believe we will see it again in the alien debate. His pleas and protestations will be set aside and he will take his marching orders and do what has to be done. His hippy side will quiver and his wife will moan, but he will do it. I am sure he will do it after reading about his easing of gasoline regulations (it won't help in the short run but it might later on, still, it was a nice touch).

I see leaders in the house and senate, the president, the Supreme Court, and other people and groups stepping up to try and block the new advance of conservatism. The blockers are from both sides of the aisle. They are afraid, perhaps they are becoming aware of just how out of touch they are. They are really afraid we the people are going to force them to make changes that will affect real things that will effect them. Perhaps the rules they force on the rest of American business will be forced on them (yes, the congress and senate are exempt from many of their own hiring, discrimination, and other laws we have to obey). Democrats have to be feeling lonely. They know their old ways are gone. They can't openly root for Bin Laden anymore. They can't send their staffers (or go themselves) to communist countries like North Korea and show support like they have been. They can't leak security information to the newspapers or allow nuke plans to be sent to their favorite despots (I'm sure it was for personal or political treasuries though. Just business, right?)

Things are changing, and for the better mostly. Security is being arranged so that it actually works, rather than being a political and politically correct mess. Laws are slowly changing, abortion is being banned in some states, and other laws are on the way. Though the government seems to be growing, if you look through the growth, you will notice the growth is in discressionary (short term) spending while cuts are going on in more normally static (long term) expenses.

Be careful in the rooms of smoke and mirrors. Enemies smile and friends may frown. The walls may be real, glass, mirror, or not there at all. The truth is not what it seems and the ground is shifting. In all truth, I can't be sure if President Bush and his group are a.) fighting these changes, just losing the fight, b.) just doing what they do and sometimes fighting, sometimes helping the changes, or c.) are grand masters in the arts of politics, illusion, action, and outcomes. Whatever the real truth, now is a time to watch. History is being made. This will become known as a time of great change.

The tests we are given.

Yes, it's been a while since I posted, again. Well, this time I have a pretty good excuse. While trying to care for diabetes (there is a trick to it, I'm almost catching on), and restarting high blood pressure meds, all while in the middle of a seeming storm of activities, I fell into my next difficulty. By the way, I figured out which medicine had been causing exhaustion, it was the high blood pressure medicine for sure. On a side note, thanks for the bits and pieces Kiwi, they do fill in some gaps and lead me to do more research as well. Anyway, beyond making me tired, the bp medicine was interfering with my balance and responses. I was getting bruised and battered from bumping and stumbling, with no warning signs of dizziness or light-headedness. Not a problem, really, until I fell. I fell hard. I landed on my ribs, which themselves struck the edge of the bath/shower rim. Not only did I not see it coming, I fell like a rock. Perhaps it's better I didn't realize it was happening and try to respond as I probably would have just broken an arm, wrist, hand, fingers, or something else since my legs were dead to me. Still, I ended up bruising, fracturing, or breaking a few ribs. I had been bed bound for a week while trying to decide if I should go to the doctor... again. After a week, I finally pulled myself together and got in. Though it wasn't fun going back in, the treatment was worth it. A painkiller and advice not to fall again because falling hurts:) Oh, alright, I made up the advice part. Now, I hate the feeling I get on painkillers, but being able to sleep well, to partially function around the house, and to BREATH, makes it worth it.

On the upside, my blood sugar is down to and sticking around the low 100's. I'm weighing in at about 264. And I've been having success changing my diet, in part due to an inability to shop as I normally would have. I think the forced short term change will make the long term change I need to make in my diet easier. Oh, and I'm learning how to function on the pain pills a bit better. I've got about another week before the doctor will have me cut them down. I think though, the best part of all is I'm still ok with everything, the world, and all. I've had worse, I'm actually grateful for what I have and the tests before me and the gifts I've been given to cope with these things, and life is actually pretty good anyway.

I've thought about blogging before this but my mind couldn't wrap it's tongue around the little white pills enough to whisper a decent typing tune. I'm still not sure how this will end up, as my mind still can't get around to editing. I'll use the spell checker and that will be about it.

Blessings.

Wow, what a trip.

Since my last posts, I've been burning the candle at both ends. The medications my doctor strongly recommended, and I finally had to concede to, have been wiping the floor with me. In spite of that, my cousin and myself have worked like crazy to get my truck ready for the trip we just took to pick up his boat. Between this and that, I've had about 40 hours of sleep in the week leading up to the trip. Two days ago, after another long day of preparations, my cousin and myself left Iowa City, Iowa at 11:00 pm. He had just gotten off work and I had spent the day packing, taking care of a few remaining details, and such. So, without sleep, we drove a half ready 4x4 '72 Chevy K20 with a six inch lift from Iowa City to New London, Wisconsin.

It was supposed to be a 5.7 hour trip (according to Mapquest). Well, with hills, fog, darkness, and such it ended up being an 8.5 hour trip. All went well, considering the situation. We were going to stay overnight and drive back the next day but we were doing good after we picked up the boat, so we started back. Though we had no problems with darkness or fog, we were then towing a 15 1/2 foot boat so the hills and occasionally wind slowed us even more on the way back than the fog, darkness, rain, and hills had on the way up. We drove, and drove, and drove until it almost felt like driving hell.

We ended up driving all the way back, and more. My cousin had found a place to store the boat, but that would mean another hour and a half drive onto our already long journey. My cousin didn't want to go further. I pushed until I got my way. Not wanting to tow the boat "soon" again, not wanting to have a half done job, and not being sure if and when the truck might die, I just had to get it done. It got done and we got home at about the same time we left the night before.

Fortunately or not, I didn't really believe I could take my meds and get the job done, so I didn't take insulin or blood pressure medicine. I was also drinking a lot of Coka-Cola to help stay awake (plus other soda types to keep from becoming too bored with the fluid). No, diet soda just doesn't work, I needed the sugar and the caffeine. My "diet" was also fairly lousy, according to diabetes ideals. Peanut M&Ms and whatever else was handy and served to deal with hunger. Oh well, I figured I could pick up when I returned home on my new diet and regimen. I checked my glucose level before breakfast, my first shot, and actually anything else this morning. It was 234, the lowest I've had since testing. What? I have no idea, but I really wonder what is going on with diabetes. It seems like a good deal of fiction surrounds it's causes, how to deal with it, and diet. I will certainly evaluate anything I am taught about it, but I will do so with an extremely critical eye.

Watching the left squirm.

It is interesting to watch what demorats and their ilk are doing. Yes, there is a behind the scenes plan of attack, or as much of one as chaos mongers can arrange. I watch while one, with just a few high level supporters and a few demorat groups, tries to censure (not even a constitutional proposition) President Bush. Then there are a few over working the immigration scene, trying to exacerbate the issue among Republicans and conservatives (we just ignore them, their meddling actually helps keep us cohesive and internally conversant). And of course you have a few demanding we leave Iraq now while a few others try to indicate that the demorats will be harder on terrorists and in the war on terror than any Republican. Little, intentionally separated, gremlin-like groups of demorats and "liberals" trying to find a chink in the Republican armor. Little monsters trying desperately to keep from being flushed like the USSR, Iraq, and other rogue nations and groups.

The media is helping, actually, but this time by not reporting much of this. As well, the media seems to now be shielding demorats from themselves by not covering these apparently contradictory demorat actions as a group of contradicting ideas.

True, conservatives are not at all pleased with all the president has done. Then again, any good leader needs to lead sometimes and follow sometimes and the result is going to be mixed. As well, all-in-all, this president has brought back some respect to the office he holds, he has done some things right (at times by getting hammered by us in order to do it), and he is doing the one thing no demorat could or would do, he is protecting us. Demorats just don't understand that the very communist ground they stand on has been rejected out of hand by an awake and wary American public. They don't understand that the safe kind world where Americans could seemingly afford to be stupid and banal ended when we realized that the 3,000 dead could have been higher, that it could have been any one of them, and that it might happen again only with more dead anywhere in the US. They never have cared if "stupid, arrogant, and useless" Americans die, they have never been on our side, and it's showing.

Pull our troops out and let the terrorists have a sanctuary, they say. Don't worry about wmd secrets and super-computers, which can aid the design of such, get to China , they say. Don't worry about Iran and North Korea getting "The Bomb" they will never use it, they say. Socialism is good for the economy, or at least it makes people feel good, they say. Who are these people? How did they ever get elected? How can we get rid of them, their entrenched governmental mechanisms, and their open stupidity? Well, that's what I say.